


Just Another Christmas in Cowboy Land

by clgfanfic



Category: Houston Knights
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-30
Updated: 2012-10-30
Packaged: 2017-11-17 08:33:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,479
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/549629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clgfanfic/pseuds/clgfanfic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The title says it all</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Another Christmas in Cowboy Land

**Author's Note:**

> Originally published in the letterzine Partner and Friends, and later in Compadres #6 under the pen name Lynn Gill.

It was December 24th, Christmas Eve, and the air was barely cool – not even a nippy breeze to be found in the Texas city.

          _Houston_ , Joseph LaFiamma snorted to himself.  _They could put a couple of flags up and called it 'Six Flags over Cowboy Land.'_

          The transplanted Chicagoan observed his partner covertly from the corner of his eye.  Levon Lundy watched the small ramshackle house that was the target of their stakeout with all the intensity of a bloodhound on a fresh scent.  Lundy didn't seem at all annoyed with their present assignment, unlike his partner.

          _Just because we don't have family here, they think we don't mind working Christmas Eve_.  The Italian sighed softly.  Who was he kidding?  If he wasn't here on stakeout he'd be home, alone, probably listening to Christmas records and feeling sorry for himself.

          In some private cosmic joke, the first bars of "I'll Be Home For Christmas," drifted out into the night air.  Joe scanned the nearby houses, locating the source of the sound.  The record, obviously well worn from the sound of it, drifted out into the neighborhood, adding a strange sense of community to the scene.

          LaFiamma ground his teeth together and contemplated rolling up the window of the Jimmy, but the humidity and the mild temperatures would turn the cab into a sauna if he did.

          _Why the hell can't the weirdos go home for Christmas?_ he asked silently.

          For one Houston family, this Christmas Eve was anything but happy.  Rachael Ann Newbury had been kidnapped from her backyard three days ago.  The family was contacted for a large ransom to be paid on Christmas morning.  The case had thrown the Major Crimes office into a state of confusion.  Vacations were cancelled, rearranged, and juggled until a decision came down from the Chief's office.  Those officers with no families would be assigned the case.  Lundy and LaFiamma were placed in charge of the HPD investigation, while Lieutenant Beaumont agreed to coordinate the efforts of other detective borrowed from homicide and burglary – some exceptions had to be made and Joanna was willing, if reluctant.

          The Chicagoan recalled the picture of the seven-year-old.  Blonde with freckles and pony-tails, a rodeo queen in the making, he was sure.  Her parents had moved to Houston from New Jersey two years ago because of the rising crime rates in their old community.

          _Helluva a way to spend a Christmas_ , Joe concluded.

          At least the detectives had been able to run down a solid lead.  A man had been seen near the Newbury's house around the time of the girl's abduction.  After careful questioning of the neighbors, they discovered that the man occasionally worked in the community doing yard and maintenance work.  So now they were staking out Donner Perry's broken-down shack, hoping he might turn up before the ransom drop.  It was a long shot, but the only one they had left.

          LaFiamma looked back at his partner, about to ask a sarcastic question concerning Houston's weather, but the expression on the man's face stopped him.  The record had moved on to "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and the blond seemed lost in his own painful memories.

          _Caroline_ , Joe decided.  _It must be tough on him at the holidays_.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

          Lundy knew his partner was still steamed over getting stuck with a kidnapping case seven hours before he was supposed to fly out to San Francisco.  _It's tough on the boy_ , Lundy told himself.  _Guess seein' cousins in California is better 'n nothing.  I wish he could get back to Chicago for a spell, would do him a world 'a good.  Can't be easy, livin' in Houston, when you're a city boy_.

          Lundy didn't mind the assignment at all.  In fact, he had requested it.  _I ain't spendin' any more Christmases like the last one.  No more gettin' drunk and sittin' around the house thinkin' about Caroline, and–_

          LaFiamma squirmed uncomfortably when the old record player began playing Christmas carols.  The Texan had to smile.  The northerner might not have liked getting stuck in Houston for Christmas, but it was thanks to LaFiamma's persistence that they turned the lead concerning Donner Perry.  If they were able to get little Rachael Ann back to her parents on Christmas, a large slice of the credit had to go to the Chicagoan.  Of course, Lundy wasn't about to tell his partner that, at least not right away.

          The song finished and a second started.  Levon felt his throat tighten.  It was one of Caroline's songs…

          They were seventeen, seniors in high school, and very much in love.  As Christmas grew closer Levon finally gave up and volunteered to help Caroline organize the kids at the school into several groups of carolers.  Each group would have a specific part of town to cover that would include either a hospital, nursing home, or orphanage.  Each of the kids would also go out and buy a two dollar gift that they could take with them and give out to the shut-ins they met.

          Levon tried to explain that he had to get ready for the play-offs, that if they could win, the football team would have a shot at the state title, but she just smiled and told him he was good enough as it was.  He didn't need to practice more with his friends, not when there were people in town who were deprived of a family Christmas.

How could he say no?  She was so excited, so full of cheer he wanted to call her Mrs. Claus.

          Lundy smiled wistfully at the memory.  The event was a huge success, one that the senior class repeated every year after that one.  He remembered an old lady at the nursing home, close to one hundred years old, had asked the students if they would sing "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and Caroline was more than happy to oblige.

          Her clear alto led them through the song and brought tears to the old woman's eyes.  "Bless you, child," she had said to the young woman.  "You're an angel."

          _That you were, sweetheart_.  Lundy fought back the press of tears that burned in his eyes.  _This ain't no time to be gettin' sentimental,_ he told himself sternly.  _We've got a job to do_.

          Taking a deep breath, he pushed the loneliness away and concentrated on Perry's house, unaware that his partner had watched the memory play itself out on his face.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

          "You okay?" LaFiamma asked softly?

          "Huh?"

          "You looked a little upset.  I just thought—"

          "It's nothin', La-Fee-amma," the Texan drawled, purposefully mispronouncing the name to antagonize the man.

          The Italian scowled at his blond partner, but he knew Lundy well enough to know he wasn't going to get anything more out of him.

          The scratchy record continued, slipping into "White Christmas," and LaFiamma forgot about the Texan as he recalled a particular Christmas from his early youth, all white and cold.

          He was seven or eight, and it was another snow-capped Christmas at the LaFiamma household.  His mother busied herself between the kitchen and trying to get the two men in her life ready for Mass.  Joe's father was on the phone with his brother, arranging the time when the two families would meet at Joe's house for a traditional Italian Christmas feast.  He tried to arrange the tie his sister-in-law had given him last year, but it wasn't going well.  Mrs. LaFiamma paused long enough to reach out and deftly arrange the off-colored piece of material on her way to Joe's room.

          Young Joseph was busy wrapping a present for Sylvia Arrangio.  He wasn't happy about having to spend a dollar of his hard earned allowance on the girl, but he'd ended up with her when they drew names in his Sunday school class.  Still, it might finally make her pay attention to him.  The ribbon wasn't cooperating, though, and each time the young boy tried to tie it down it slipped off the odd angles of the well-used box.

"Joseph, why aren't you ready for church?  We have to leave in twenty minutes.  Please, find your good shoes and come downstairs?"

          "Okay," the boy agreed.  "Mama, will you help me tie this?"

          The woman paused long enough to study the lumpy, foil-covered blob that sat on her son's bed.  "What is it?"

          "My present for Sylvia Arrangio."

          The woman smiled.  "A present for Sylvie?"

          "Ma, I drew her name at church.  I _had_ to get her something."

          "Oh, I see," the woman said with a knowing smile.  Her son had been following the pretty little girl all over the neighborhood since they moved from Gary, Indiana over the summer.  Reaching out, she expertly arranged the red ribbon into a large bow that added a touch of beauty to the otherwise questionable attempt.  "Now, you find your shoes and hurry down."

          The boy nodded, diving for the floor.  A quick search under the bed turned up the shoes, and he slipped them on, rushing down to see what he could steal from the kitchen before they left for church.

          Mrs. LaFiamma, knowing her men too well, cut them both off in the hall, and directed them to the living room.  They waited impatiently for her to retrieve her coat and scarf before heading out to the car.

          The snow was just over two feet deep in the front yard, and Joe couldn't stop himself from grabbing a handful and flinging it at the snowman Nicky Arranti had erected in his yard next door.  The snowball struck the snowman right between its charcoal brickette eyes, knocking them both off.

          "Joey!" his mother scolded.  "That wasn't very nice.  Nicky worked hard to make that snowman."

          The boy frowned.  "But he pushed mine down last year."

          The woman shook her head and smiled at her husband's amused expression.

          "That's right," he said with a conspiratorial grin.  "Joey's just evening up the score."

          "No, he's just escalating the war," his mother replied knowingly, reaching down to scoop up a handful on snow which she deposited on her husband's head.

          Anthony LaFiamma laughed in the deep clear baritone that made the whole world right.  Reaching out for his own handful of the white powder, he tossed it playfully at his wife, who ducked, leaving Joe the target.  The loose snowball landed on the boy's shoulder, breaking into powder again and falling away.

          Joey, realizing an opportunity when he saw one, launched an attack against his father, and it wasn't long before the threesome knew they were going to be late for this year's Mass.  Still, that snowball fight was one of the memories the detective treasured, and he savored the images as they warmed him.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

          "There," Lundy said, pointing at a shadow that moved carefully along the house the partners were watching.

          LaFiamma checked his watch.  "And it's only nine o'clock.  Maybe we'll have Rachael home for Christmas after all."

          The two detectives eased out of the Jimmy and started for the shack.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

          Lundy grinned and watched as the Newburys broke apart from their family hug.  Seven-year-old Rachael was home for Christmas.

LaFiamma put a hand on his partner's shoulder, saying, "Well, I guess it's back to Reisner to fill out the paperwork and then we can have our Christmas, huh, Lundy?"

          The blond nodded, feeling too good about the reunion to worry about how he'd spend the rest of the holiday.  Together they walked back to the waiting Jimmy and climbed in.

          Levon reached out to turn the key when the wind began to pick up, carrying the faint sound of bells on the humidity-drenched air.  A soft rain began to fall on the windshield, and Lundy paused.

          "It must be midnight," LaFiamma said quietly.

          Levon checked the dash clock and nodded.

          "I remember some of the churches used to have a late Mass on Christmas, and at midnight they'd have one of the men come in all dressed up like Saint Nicholas to give the kids some candy, or a little present…"  He trailed off, unsure if his partner was interested.

          Lundy nodded again.  "Sounds right nice."  Reaching out, the blond started the truck, then switched the radio on.  More Christmas carols spilled out.  "So, what are you goin' to do now?  Try to get another flight for California?"

          "Naw," Joe said, shaking his head and wishing he had never spread the rumor that he was leaving Houston for the holidays.  "I guess I'll just go home and get some sleep, watch the parades and the football games…  Just another Christmas in Cowboy Land.  What about you?"

          The Texan shrugged.  "Same thing, I guess."

          They rode along in silence, the trip to Reisner made easier by the lack of traffic on the drizzle-damp streets.  Three blocks away a woman's voice interrupted the music on the radio.

          "…And it looks like we're going to have a wonderful turnout here at the Houston Home for Orphaned and Abandoned Children.  Remember, if you're looking for something to do this Christmas, why don't you stop by HHOAC later this morning.  And don't forget to bring a gift.  There'll be lots of children who'll appreciate it.  We'll have Santa visiting, and Christmas carolers, and—"

          Lundy and LaFiamma exchanged glances, the blond already turning the wheel before his partner could say anything.

          "Where are you going?" the Chicagoan asked.

"I know a couple of all-night drugstores that oughta have some things that kids would like."

          The dark-haired detective grinned.  "You learnin' to read minds now, Levon?"

          The blond grinned.  "No, but what the hell, LaFiamma, we ain't got no place to go, so why not make a couple of kids happy."

          Joe smiled.  "Okay by me, but I get to pick out the stuff for the girl.  I've had some practice at that."

          "Fine by me.  I'll get the stuff for the boy and we can split the cost of the wrappin' paper."

          Joe looked out at the rain.  "Too bad it doesn't snow here," he said as they climbed out of the Jimmy.

          "It does, every once in a blue moon."  Lundy pulled into the parking lot of the drugstore.  "Hey, LaFiamma, you ever go caroling in Chicago?"

          The Italian looked surprised.  "Yeah, of course we did.  Why?"

          "Oh, no reason.  I was just wonderin' is all."

          "I'll have you know I have a pretty good voice, too."

          The Texan's eyebrows rose and he snoted.  "You do, do you?  Well, I don't mind tellin' you that I do okay myself."

          "Yeah, well, we'll see when we get there."

          "I guess we will.  Now, are we gonna stand here gettin' wet, or are we gonna go get the presents?"

          "You're the one standin' out here in the rain asking me if I can sing."

          "I didn't ask you if you could sing, LaFiamma, I asked…"

The End


End file.
